NA - Replacing Your Cellphone With a Smartwatch?

Jay Honeck

Jay Honeck

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Jay Honeck
I've spent an inordinate amount of time researching the Samsung Gear S2. Here is a link to this remarkable device: http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/gear-s2/?cid=ppc-

A brief description: The S2 is the first truly stand-alone smartwatch, offering full cellphone capability with its own phone number. It doesn't need to be tethered to a cell phone. In theory, you never need to carry a phone again -- something Dick Tracy fans have been hoping for since cell phones were invented.

Background: Samsung has been designing and building smartwatches longer than any other company, beating Apple by a couple of years. Their previous offerings were obviously not ready for primetime. This one is.

The S2's breakthrough, aside from 4G connectivity, is with the rotating bezel menu system that has been universally hailed, even by the most ardent Samsung haters, as revolutionary. It makes navigating the tiny screen a breeze. I played with one yesterday at Best Buy (on the cheaper regular wifi/Bluetooth/not cellular version), and it was super simple, easier and more intuitive than Apple's crown knob.

I've watched enough demonstrations and reviews to know that the cellular version works well as a phone. Here's a demo: https://youtu.be/L7PrduC4QaY It also Bluetooths to everything from your car to headphones.

WRT my daily device usage, the only thing it seems to lack, as compared to my Galaxy S5, is the camera. It has a built in GPS for navigation, Bluetooth, NFC (for Google Pay), wifi, and an accelerometer. For texting, you can either use the impossibly tiny keyboard, or simply use voice-to-text and talk your message.

Obviously web surfing on a watch is nearly impossible (although it does play YouTube videos, etc.), However, my device of choice for browsing is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4". It therefore seems possible that the S2 can replace my stand-alone cell phone (Galaxy S5) in daily use -- with the exception of the camera.

The idea of never carrying a stand-alone phone again is very appealing. To simply strap it on your wrist and go would be an amazing thing, after years of forgetting, dropping, or trying to find a pocket for my phone. The only downside: Usage in a loud location, or having a totally private conversation, would be difficult without a BT earpiece.

Has anyone bought an S2? Any PIREPs? I'm teetering on the brink.
 
I'm wearing one right now. It's great if you want to keep your phone in your pocket. I wouldn't want this as my only device though.

It's awesome as a watch.
 
I don't see the point. I don't like wearing watches to begin with, and the screen is too small to be useful for much. Plus how do you text or email.

If I was to have a standalone watch sized device that somehow overcame the I/O and display shortcomings, I'd keep it in my pocket.
 
I love the smart watch revolution. I cant believe that people are buying a watch for so much money that requires a phone anyway though. Then again my IWC and B&R cost me a lot more than a smart watch and all it does is tells time and I have to wind it them up too.
 
Jay Honeck said:
For texting, you can either use the impossibly tiny keyboard, or simply use voice-to-text and talk your message.

Obviously web surfing on a watch is nearly impossible (although it does play YouTube videos, etc.), However, my device of choice for browsing is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4".
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So I'd need to have two devices (plus a pair of reading glasses) instead of my one iPhone. I'd also lose any privacy by having to blab out commands.

Jay Honeck said:
The only downside: Usage in a loud location, or having a totally private conversation, would be difficult without a BT earpiece.
Click to expand...
So I'd need to have three devices (plus a pair of reading glasses) instead of my one iPhone.

Where's the upside?
 
tyndall said:
So I'd need to have two devices (plus a pair of reading glasses) instead of my one iPhone. I'd also lose any privacy by having to blab out commands.
Click to expand...

I agree with the latter point, although I almost never receive or make phone calls anymore, and the ones I do get/make are usually in my home, office, or car -- where I don't care about privacy.

As for carrying two devices, I already do: My cell phone and my tablet. (Although to be honest, my wife is often the keeper of the tablets!) I'm looking at the smartwatch eliminating a device -- the phone.

My biggest hang-up: Lack of a camera. I use that thing constantly, and to not have it would suck. Although then I'd have an excuse to get a really nice camera. ;)

My wife has a great idea for Samsung: Put the camera in the watchband buckle. You could hold your watch up, use the screen as the viewfinder, and take a picture.

That's will be in the Gear S5 (or whatever) someday. :)
 
The idea of never again wearing anything on my wrist is very appealing. To simply carry a stand-alone phone is the perfect solution.
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FTFY




1234
 
I've had a cellphone since 1990. My first one was bolted to the floor of my van.

I LOVE my Galaxy S5. It is the ultimate device, IMHO, and does everything I've asked of it, flawlessly.

However, at this time of year especially, when I occasionally have to wear shoes and (*gasp*) long pants, I am reminded of what a PIA a smartphone can be. My cargo shorts all have a special "phone pocket" (Wrangler brand, and awesome), so with those I'm fine -- but with blue jeans I never know where to put the damned thing.

So, I stick it in my front pocket, and then can't retrieve it when I sit down. I don't dare put it in my back pocket, lest I crush a $500 device. If you look around you will often see phones on the tables in restaurants, bars, etc. Why? Cuz NO ONE knows what to do with the damned things.

A cellular smartwatch like the S2 resolves all that.
 
Jay Honeck said:
I've had a cellphone since 1990. My first one was bolted to the floor of my van.

I LOVE my Galaxy S5. It is the ultimate device, IMHO, and does everything I've asked of it, flawlessly.

However, at this time of year especially, when I occasionally have to wear shoes and (*gasp*) long pants, I am reminded of what a PIA a smartphone can be. My cargo shorts all have a special "phone pocket" (Wrangler brand, and awesome), so with those I'm fine -- but with blue jeans I never know where to put the damned thing.

So, I stick it in my front pocket, and then can't retrieve it when I sit down. I don't dare put it in my back pocket, lest I crush a $500 device. If you look around you will often see phones on the tables in restaurants, bars, etc. Why? Cuz NO ONE knows what to do with the damned things.

A cellular smartwatch like the S2 resolves all that.
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My iPhone 6s sits in the back pocket of my jeans while I am standing. It comes out on the console of my PU when I get in the truck. At my desk, it comes out and sits next to my mouse on my desk.

I have never broken one in my back pocket.

And, having a camera with me 24/7 is perhaps the greatest benefit.
 
Jay Honeck said:
I LOVE my Galaxy S5. It is the ultimate device, IMHO, and does everything I've asked of it, flawlessly.

So, I stick it in my front pocket, and then can't retrieve it when I sit down. I don't dare put it in my back pocket, lest I crush a $500 device. If you look around you will often see phones on the tables in restaurants, bars, etc. Why? Cuz NO ONE knows what to do with the damned things.

A cellular smartwatch like the S2 resolves all that.
Click to expand...

This is what we all need:
latest
 
I used to wear watches just for the bling aspect. That is, until I lost my expensive Heuer diver's watch in the mosh pit of a Bush concert. Then I started buying cheap, disposable plastic LCD watches. Then I just quit wearing them all together.

I'm almost never without some form of clock, and it's usually the cell phone. I don't miss wearing stuff on my wrist. Don't get me a Fit Bit for Christmas.
 
Jay Honeck said:
So, I stick it in my front pocket, and then can't retrieve it when I sit down. I don't dare put it in my back pocket, lest I crush a $500 device. If you look around you will often see phones on the tables in restaurants, bars, etc. Why? Cuz NO ONE knows what to do with the damned things.
Click to expand...
A holster solves all those problems. Screw fashion.
 
This is what I read.

1. There was a phone(featured), it was nice and small, but it didn't do much because interface was limiting and screen was small.
2. Blackberry came along. It did a lot more, but screen and interface were still limiting
3. iPhone solved all of that(and later Android). Nicely sized screen, very useful interface. Problems solved.. But wait..
4. Lets make screens bigger...
5. And even bigger still
6. These things are way too big.. Lets create a device that can make calls but have much smaller screen and chunkier interface, so that I can leave that monstrous phone at home.

Technology!
 
I'm actually interested in the OS more so than the watch. It runs on Tizen, which is on my short list for the time when BlackBerry discontinues support for its own native OS and/or pushes Google spyware onto existing devices.

If and when either of those things happen, I will need a new phone. Tizen's on my list of possible replacements.

Rich
 
genna said:
This is what I read. <snip>
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Kinda what I think of texting.

1. Wow! A telegraph, we can tap out a message and someone miles away can read it!
2. Wow! A telephone, we can talk to people miles away without the hassle of tapping and reading!
3. Wow! A cell phone, we can talk to anyone anywhere!
4. Wow! Text messaging, we can tap out a message and someone miles away can read it! Wait, didn't we do this already?
5. Wow! Text to speech, we can speak a message that gets converted to text, that someone miles away can receive, convert and listen to as speech! Wait,.. what? :D
 
Whats the pricing like?

I think it looks much better than the iwatch, however I think Ill continue to wait a few more generations. I largely use my phone to text and web browse the two things this watch (and all others) struggles with.

The reason they go out on the table when people sit down is because people use them all the time. Or if they get a message they want to be able to read it without having to make a big fuss of getting it out of a pocket. I have no problem putting my phone in my front pocket. I used to keep it in my back pocket until I scooted to the front of a plastic chair and cracked a phone.
 
I'm not writing my official yet as I am still getting used to this watch but based off the OPs question and others thinking this will take away your phone, I'll just restate my first message.

This is not something that would replace the phone in your pocket, at all. It does however add convenience in that if you wear Bluetooth headphones you can simply swipe your watch and answer the phone. Or read text messages on the go.

It's a supplement device to a smartphone, not a replacement. Point blank.

My .02$


The best feature, you can change faces on your watch. Some show the stock market, some show your pace (Nike fit app) but I love watches, you can change your face to match what you're wearing.
 
Seanaldinho said:
Whats the pricing like?
Click to expand...

Well, after dealing with idjits at Verizon, I ordered one. 'Twill be here Thursday.

But what a ridiculous buying experience. I mean, it could hardly have been worse. Here's the tale:

My wife and I go into Verizon yesterday. The store is full of confused post-Christmas people with their new, mystifying toys, and there are still 6 names ahead of us after waiting 30 minutes. See ya!

Today, we stop in again. This time there are 7 names ahead of us. Not to be fooled twice, I think I can game the system by going to grab a burger, and come back. Nope, while we were out they passed me by, and I must start again. This time, I'm #4.

It's finally my turn. The Smartwatches are fully charged and displayed in a locked Plexiglas case. Can I see one?

Um, nope.

Huh? Why not?

"Because the case is locked."

WTF? Now I'm getting angry. I've been with Verizon (and its ancestors) for 26 years. I've paid for this guy's salary, single handedly, and then some -- and he won't unlock the display case and demo the thing? I ain't buying a $350 watch without being allowed to play with it.

"Sorry, we can't open it."

When I asked "why?" again, the guy starts to get snippy, so I ask for the store manager. Five minutes later, he comes out -- turns out I know him -- and opens the case. Gee, thanks. Was that so freaking hard?

Incredibly, the display case is on a timer alarm, like the freaking Hope Diamond. I have precisely 3 minutes to play with it, or the alarm goes off. Luckily, I had played with it at Best Buy, so I pretty much knew the watch, but what a bunch of maroons. The manager demonstrated precisely nothing about the S2.

Anyway, after my cursory inspection, he gets me a new sales rep -- a good guy I've dealt with for years. He gets me set up with ordering the S2 (they have none in stock, after Xmas), and finds some ways to save me some money on my company's data plan. We have some laughs at Verizon's expense. All is forgiven. Well, mostly.

Bottom line: I bought the phone outright for $349, rather than buying one on a 2 year contract for $299. If it sucks, I want to be able to disconnect without penalty.

Oh, and the total extra per month fee for the smartwatch's new phone/data plan? $5 bucks!

You read that right: Just $5.00 per month.

Apparently Verizon is trying to push wearable tech by making the add-ons super cheap. (I'm sure they will get us all hooked on this stuff, and then ratchet up the price, over time.) This explains why the sales reps don't want to waste their time selling S2s -- they get no commission for that low cost of an add-on.

Anyway, I'm excited to see what this new tech will be like, and will post a PIREP after I've lived with it a bit.
 
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Dick Tracy watches were the perfect fantasy until you grasp the fact that real people have bad hair days or spinach stuck in their teeth.

To this day, I have never spoken to anyone on any device where they can see me and I can see them.

A stand alone cell phone watch is appealing, but so many other functions (camera, browsing, texting, privacy, etc ...) are left behind.
 
txflyer said:
Dick Tracy watches were the perfect fantasy until you grasp the fact that real people have bad hair days or spinach stuck in their teeth.

To this day, I have never spoken to anyone on any device where they can see me and I can see them.

A stand alone cell phone watch is appealing, but so many other functions (camera, browsing, texting, privacy, etc ...) are left behind.
Click to expand...

lol We Skype with our son and his wife up in Minnesota regularly. On a big screen TV, opening Christmas presents, it's almost like he's with us. It's great.

As for texting, I use voice-to-text all the time. It won't be any different on the S2 (or any other smartwatch.)

I will definitely miss the camera. I suspect the smartphone will end up living in the plane and car, just for the camera function alone.
 
Jay Honeck said:
lol We Skype with our son and his wife up in Minnesota regularly. On a big screen TV, opening Christmas presents, it's almost like he's with us. It's great.

As for texting, I use voice-to-text all the time. It won't be any different on the S2 (or any other smartwatch.)

I will definitely miss the camera. I suspect the smartphone will end up living in the plane and car, just for the camera function alone.
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The watch can remotely control your camera on your phone.

The text to talk was not as seamless on my phone when I used it. But that's probably my error.
 
I find my Apple watch very useful. The biggest advantage for me is being able to look at texts & emails while driving to determine if I need to pull over to respond.

I also have Foreflight on my Apple watch. Small screen granted but in a pinch it's better than nothing.

I have a bunch of Seiko, Citizen, & Luminox chronographs I'll probably never wear again.

I'm an older dog but believe smart watches are here to stay.
 
saddletramp said:
I find my Apple watch very useful. The biggest advantage for me is being able to look at texts & emails while driving to determine if I need to pull over to respond.
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The Apple watch was/is the closest I've come to buying an Apple product since my foul iPad experience back in 2010 (?). I didn't much care for the square style, but I loved everything else about it.

The deal killer was the requirement that it had to be tethered to a smartphone. I wanted a device that could stand on its own as a phone. I intend to leave my phone in the plane or car most of the time, relying solely on the S2. We shall see how well that works!
 
Jay Honeck said:
The Apple watch was/is the closest I've come to buying an Apple product since my foul iPad experience back in 2010 (?). I didn't much care for the square style, but I loved everything else about it.

The deal killer was the requirement that it had to be tethered to a smartphone. I wanted a device that could stand on its own as a phone. I intend to leave my phone in the plane or car most of the time, relying solely on the S2. We shall see how well that works!
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Unless I am missing something, I don't think the watch can ALWAYS make phonecalls unless teathered.
From the manual: Bluetooth® v4.1, USB 2.0, NFC, Wi–Fi: 802.11 b/g/n/e (2.4GHz)
I don't see any cellular network listed. Plus it isn't listed under phones but under accessories. My guess is it uses WiFi when the cellphone isn't available.
 
silver-eagle said:
Unless I am missing something, I don't think the watch can ALWAYS make phonecalls unless teathered.
From the manual: Bluetooth® v4.1, USB 2.0, NFC, Wi–Fi: 802.11 b/g/n/e (2.4GHz)
I don't see any cellular network listed. Plus it isn't listed under phones but under accessories. My guess is it uses WiFi when the cellphone isn't available.
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There are two version of the Gear S2. The one at Best Buy works like the Apple Watch, and must be tethered to a phone or wifi to do much of anything.

The one I've ordered is unique, so far, in that it is the first smartwatch to have cellular capability. As a result, it can function without being tethered to your phone or wifi.

It's just like the regular and 3G versions of the iPad.
 
saddletramp said:
I find my Apple watch very useful. The biggest advantage for me is being able to look at texts & emails while driving to determine if I need to pull over to respond.

I also have Foreflight on my Apple watch. Small screen granted but in a pinch it's better than nothing.

I have a bunch of Seiko, Citizen, & Luminox chronographs I'll probably never wear again.

I'm an older dog but believe smart watches are here to stay.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I like the Apple Watch for flying as well. Although I do think ForeFlight can do better than their current incarnation of their watch app. I've pinged them about including frequencies (atis/gnd/twr) and they said they'll put it on their list of requests.

Another aviation app I like on the watch (and the phone) is Rwy Go. It points you toward the selected airport and gives you a visual for the direction you will be approaching from and displays a windsock.

The way the watch taps you on the wrist is something I find very useful for notifications and for the timer to switch tanks.
 
Since I depend on the ability to make and receive phone calls, e-mail, browse the web, text, and highly value the fact that I can do all of that without carrying multiple devices, I don't see how a cellular-enabled smart watch would work for me as a smartphone replacement. A standalone smart watch would do none of those things well, including phone calls, unless I also carried a bunch of other junk along with it.

Aside from health-related applications, on which the Apple Watch seems to be focused, I'm not sure that smart watches will be good at anything until the display and input limitations are addressed. Dictation for input is a good idea, except that it isn't practical in public or in other areas where it might not be possible without creating a disturbance. I have dictation ability on my iPhone and it works very well, but not with lots of ambient noise and not when I don't care to verbally broadcast the contents of my texts and emails to those around me.

Of course, I have also resisted the temptation to replace my current 4" smartphone with a "phablet," because it too would present too many limitations (inconveniences). My 4" smartphone does all of the above very well, and it's neither too small nor too big. If I'm creating documents or remote controlling a PC, I'll use a laptop or tablet, but those aren't daily mobile requirements for me.


JKG
 
My device usage has evolved over time, but for the last year or two I have settled into tablet usage (Samsung Tab S 8.4") for all browsing, which is 90% of my casual usage.

The only time I use my smartphone for browsing is when I'm sitting in line for the car ferry (I live on an island), or when I don't have wifi. It remains to be seen how it will shake out, but I suspect I will be leaving the smartphone in the car/plane/office most days.

The other 10% of my non-working usage is on my Chromebook, which gives me a keyboard and a streamlined, superfast OS. For work, we still have one (1) Windows machine, which makes us all long for an Android powered PC.

I'm honestly not sure how the smartwatch will fit into this pretty settled mix. We shall see.
 
Brief update: The Samsung Gear S2 arrived yesterday. I've played with it for 8 hours, off and on. First impressions:

1. Set up is easy and intuitive, but I was glad to have done the research I did. It is a very powerful piece of kit.

2. The cellphone works perfectly. You tell it to call <fill in the blank>, and it does. From your wrist. It's cool.

3. Sound quality is great, even in an office.

4. Bluetooth, Wifi, and NFC work as advertised.

So far, so good. I'm still playing with GPS and mapping functions, as well as what it can do independently from the tethered cellphone. So far, it seems like just about everything.

More later.
 
I don't think a smartwatch can ever replace a phone. There's just some things a smartwatch are better at doing than a phone, some things a phone are better doing on than a tablet, some things better doing on a tablet vs. laptop, etc. That seems to be the trend.
 
Okay, I've had the 3G version of the Samsung Gear S2 for 5 days, now, and feel thoroughly comfortable with the device and qualified to provide a PIREP.

Overview

First, the device is quite handsome. It's very low key, all black, including the band. It looks like any other sport watch, and despite all of the electronics crammed inside is no larger than a regular sport watch.

The band is easily replaceable, and in fact the watch comes with two bands -- one big, one small. This is a nice touch, since not everyone's wrist is the same size.

The display is stunning, sharing the same super Amoled screen of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and S6 -- the two best cell phone screens on the market. It is brilliantly bright, clear, and the touch screen is responsive and crisp.

Where the S2 truly breaks new ground is with the rotating bezel, which looks just like any traditional sport watch. The difference is that the bezel controls the smartwatch's menu system, giving you fast, intuitive control that keeps your hand from blocking the screen when you use it. This sounds like a minor thing, but it is not -- flipping through dozens of apps by rotating the bezel is a hundred times better than using a touch screen!

The touch screen has its place, however, and when you want to open a specific app, you rotate to it, then touch it to open -- easy peasy.

Another great feature is wireless charging. Simply snap it on the cradle (it's magnetic), and within 2 hours you can go from 0 - 100% charged.

Cell phone

This is what truly separates the S2 from every other smartwatch -- it is a completely independent, stand-alone cell phone. As such, it has its own cell phone number and data plan, which means you don't need a cell phone at all for daily operation.

The phone works perfectly. Period, nothing more to add. You talk to the phone, using your custom "wake up" command (mine is "Wake up, watch!"), tell it "Call Mary" (for example), and it just works.

Or, you can do it by hand, but why would you?

Sound quality using the built in speaker is surprisingly good, and plenty loud. Call quality at the other end is reported as excellent. (It also Bluetooths to my car's hands free system, of course, which then plays everything through the car stereo.)

This is why I bought this watch, and I have not been disappointed. To have the phone on my wrist all the time is just too damned handy. I've got my cellphone forwarded to the watch, so all of my calls go to it, and when I make a call from the watch people still see my cellphone number (not the smartwatch's number).

Apps

One of the hits against the new S2 is that the app store is less populated than Android Wear or the Apple Watch, and this is true. The S2 runs on the Tizen OS (a derivative of Unix), and this relatively new OS is slowly being embraced by app writers.

That said, I've not found anything lacking, and the app store grows daily. I've got everything from Mapping apps that provide turn by turn instructions, to a music player (that plays either on-board or streaming music), to an Uber app that allows my to order a ride on my watch. I can even watch YouTube videos on my freaking wrist!

I'm not feeling limited.

The Watch

Oh, yeah -- it's a watch, too! ;)

There are hundreds of watch faces, all cool and slick on that brilliant little acreen. Many are customizable, so you add heart rate, date, or weather to the screen. Still others are made by (for example) CNN, offering a handsome watch and a continuous feed of breaking news stories.

And yes, you can make it look just like a silly "pilots watch", with all those unreadable and useless sub-dials. :)

Bloomberg even has one that has THREE separate tickers, tracking whatever stock exchange catches your fancy, all in real time. Truly remarkable.

Battery Time

The weak link in any device is the battery, and the S2 is no different. On Day 1, screwing around for it constantly, I got about 10 hours before having to recharge.

Day 2 was about 12 hours. Day 3 was 14, and I thought things were moving right along.

Day 4 I used it to play music in my car, airplane, and hangar. I watched videos, made phone calls, and completely overdid it. End result was a dead battery after less than 10 hours, which sucked

Today I was asked to switch to "power saver mode" right at 12 hours of fairly benign usage. This mode disables some resource-intensive features, but I'm still receiving Facebook, Gmail, and Tapatalk notifications. Supposedly in normal use, after the "gee whiz" factor wears off, the battery will last up to 2 days. We shall see. In the meantime, I've ordered a second charging cradle for the hangar, just in case.

Conclusion

Can this device replace your cell phone? Permanently, no. The watch requires a Bluetooth connection to a cellphone in order to download apps to the watch. (As an experiment I tried using my Samsung tablet for this instead, but the Samsung Gear app would not install to it.) This makes sense, since it's pretty much impossible to browse and select apps on the watch's little screen.

Temporarily (as in flying, working, driving, or working out), the answer is a resounding YES. I rarely carry my cellphone now, keeping it in the cup holder in my car, or the map pocket of my plane. When I'm working around the hotel, I never carry my phone, and the incredible convenience of having your "phone" at all times on your wrist, not interfering with or taking up pockets, is very nice.

So, there you have it. The 3G version of the Gear S2 is a remarkable piece of kit, and I am glad to own one.

Cost through Verizon, with a 2 year plan, is $299. To buy it outright is just $50 more, at $349, which is what I opted to do. The add-on for the watch to my existing cell plan was just $10/month for cell and data, which h I thought was a remarkably good deal. They are clearly trying to promote wearable technology with cheap plans!

Any questions?
 
How do you forward your calls to the watch? I keep mine bluetoothed but that runs out of distance around 20ft. Good for dropping off parts and playing golf -_-

If I could forward the calls... you're right; that would be handy..my pun intended lol
 
SmashTime said:
How do you forward your calls to the watch? I keep mine bluetoothed but that runs out of distance around 20ft. Good for dropping off parts and playing golf -_-

If I could forward the calls... you're right; that would be handy..my pun intended lol
Click to expand...
Just use call forwarding, like any other phone. *72 then the watches phone number. Hit send.

Done!
 
BTW, I went on an S2 forum and discovered that I had incorrectly changed a setting on the watch so that the 4G radio was "always on". This should be set to "autoswitch" so that it turns off the 4G radio whenever the watch is Bluetoothed to your cell phine.

Since this is much of the time (driving, flying, working, the phone is always nearby), I was needlessly chewing up my battery.

Supposedly this will double my battery endurance. I will report back.
 
Woo hoo! Changing that single setting (switching the 4G radio from "always on" to "autoswitch") did the trick. I still had 15% battery left on the Gear S2 at the end of a 16 hour day yesterday.

That resolves my only gripe. I can now heartily recommend this smartwatch.
 
I have not looked at the data sheet yet.

Water resistance?

Does it appear to be a "one drop" device?
 
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